Various Artists - I Will Swim To You: A Tribute to Jason Molina Various Artists

Jason Molina was an artist who didn’t like to look back. Throughout the singer-songwriter’s life and career, a restless and evolving creative pulse propelled him forward, training his focus on what was next. His unyielding creativity and work ethic bore sacred fruit. In his short life, Molina achieved what most musicians strive for: a sound that is instantly recognizable but rarely repeats itself.

From the banks of Lake Erie in his hometown Lorain, Ohio, to international stages with his bands Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co., Molina performed his vast catalog of mysterious, romantic, tempestuous, and monumental songs that were at once innovative and rooted in American tradition. He consistently tinkered with his sound, image, band, and homebase in order to sate his muse. Tenor guitar-toting misfit. Lovesick lo-fi indie rocker. Dirgey slowcore bard. 21st century roots-rock trailblazer. Canonical Midwestern songwriter. Jason Molina planted his creative flag in all of these territories — to stake his claim, convey how far he’d traveled, and leave behind a trail of precious talismans.

With I Will Swim to You: A Tribute to Jason Molina — named after a line in Molina’s song “Lioness” — Run For Cover Records and a coterie of affiliated artists honor the songwriter’s enduring impact. The compilation of Molina covers is performed by some of today’s most visionary singer-songwriters, including MJ Lenderman, Hand Habits, Horse Jumper of Love, Sun June and more, and includes singular interpretations of Molina fan favorites and deep cuts from his solo albums and lesser-known EPs. The resulting collection, an unmistakable labor of love, is an often-stunning gestalt of generational talent paying homage to one of the most gifted but underrated American songwriters.